Petitgrain essential oil is derived from the fresh leaves and green twigs of the bitter orange tree, Citrus aurantium and its various sub-species. Bitter orange belongs to the Rutaceae family and is believed to have originated in South-East Asia where it later spread to North-Eastern India, Burma and China, eventually finding its way via Arab traders to Africa, Arabia and Syria.

From these regions it was taken to the Mediterranean by the Moors, and by the end of the 12th century it was cultivated in Seville, Spain, thereby leading to the common name for bitter oranges.
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Rosemary is an attractive, evergreen, shrubby herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows wild throughout Mediterranean countries where it is believed to have originated.

The upright form of this herb can reach a height of 1.8 metres, although there are other forms such as R. officinalis var. prostratus, which is a creeping variety that is often grown in rock gardens or for ground cover.

The narrow fragrant leaves of rosemary are dark green on the upper surface, with undersides that are paler and matted with thick hair. During spring, the small and delicate, tubular, blue-white flowers begin to blossom on the tips of the leaves, and can remain in bloom throughout the summer.
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At Quinessence we are always looking to bring you something new and interesting, so this months newcomers include a fantastic ‘how to massage’ DVD, fragrant Bath Bombs and a new Pillar Candle to add to our collection.

During the next few months we will be adding even more new products to our Aromatherapy Collection, so be sure to call back to check them out.
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Have you ever entered a room whilst in a perfectly normal and happy mood, and immediately felt an emotional change come over you? The feeling is unmistakable and may vary from just feeling a little uncomfortable right through to experiencing the irresistible urge to flee the room.

Perhaps a heated argument had taken place there earlier, or something much more sinister might have happened many years ago, but either way you got the message and no mistake. This is not as uncommon as you might imagine and there are many documented cases of how people’s lives were saved by taking decisive action after experiencing such feelings.
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If you are as disappointed as I am with the summer weather right now, you may be thinking about jetting away to a warmer climate. But many of you already know from experience that flying can still be quite a stressful experience. The hassle of just getting through airport security and queuing at the check-in is enough to raise anybodys blood pressure!
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Stress is the curse of living in modern times and it seems almost impossible to escape from. And despite what some people might say to the contrary, just about everyone suffers from stress at some point during a typical working day. The problem is, if we experience stress continually it can take a heavy toll on our mind, body and spirit.

In recent studies experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger, and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress can cause the blood flow to the heart to become restricted (cardiac ischemia) which can lead to a heart attack.
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Summer is here and we can all finally get outdoors a bit more and enjoy the wonderful revitalizing and healing rays of the sun. Let’s face it - being out in the sun is one of the best things about summer. But sadly, skin cancer is now recognised as the most common form of all cancers with 1,000,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year in America alone. Those figures are astonishing, and we should all take heed of them.

However, it can be difficult to know what to do for the best when recent scientific studies have shown that that people who don’t get enough sunlight and also have diets low in vitamin D may be at higher risk of developing prostate, colon, rectal, ovarian and breast cancer.
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Two closely related species of citronella grass have been cultivated over the years to produce citronella essential oil; Cymbopogon nardus which is known in the oil industry as ‘Ceylon type’, and Cymbopogon winterianus known as ‘Java type’.

In the early 1900’s C. nardus was cultivated almost exclusively in Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), and C. winterianus was produced on the Indonesian island of Java. At that time, C. nardus oil was the most sought after variety but gradually C. winterianus increased in popularity due to its higher yield and slightly fresher aroma.
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Towards the end of May, some 3 to 4 million people in Britain will begin to suffer the return of red, itchy eyes, a runny nose, persistent sneezing attacks, headaches, and for some sufferers, serious breathing difficulties. If you are one of the unfortunate 15% to 20% of sufferers in the UK, this time of year signals the return of your annual nightmare known as the hay fever season.
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In this modern high-speed, hi-tech world, it can be reassuring to find that sometimes the old fashioned way of doing things is still the best. Infused oils are a great example of this; they employ a time honored way of directly harnessing the natural healing properties of plants that in many ways has still yet to be surpassed in both efficacy and cost.
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